Matthew 23: Hypocrisy of Pharisees and Lament Over Jerusalem

Matthew 23: Hypocrisy of Pharisees and Lament Over Jerusalem

Collin Leong. 24 May 2025

(v1-12) Warning Against Hypocrisy (Luke 11:37-54)

(v1-4) After the Pharisees left in chapter 23, Jesus spoke to the crowd saying that the teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. They must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They put heavy and cumbersome loads on people, but they are not willing to lift a finger to move them. 

Jesus mentioned two roles of religious leaders. Teachers of the law refers to the Scribes, who were scholars and interpreters of the Jewish Scriptures. They were responsible for copying and preserving the sacred texts and often served as legal experts in religious matters. Pharisees are known for their strict adherence to the law and traditions. They emphasized ritual purity, observance of commandments, and separation from anything considered unclean.

(v5-7) Jesus said they do things for people to see; they made their phylacteries wide and tassels on their garments long; they love to sit at the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called "Rabbi" by others. 

Phylacteries (Tefillin) are small leather boxes containing scripture verses from the Torah. They are traditionally worn on the forehead and arm during prayer as a reminder to keep God's law close to one's mind and actions. (Exodus 13:9, 16 and Deut 6:8, 11:18). The specific details of how they should be made and worn were developed through rabbinic interpretation The Pharisees would make their phylacteries extra wide to appear more devout.

Tassels (Fringes) are decorative threads attached to the corners of garments, known as tzitzit. They were commanded in Numbers 15:38-39 as a visual reminder to obey God's commandments. The Pharisees would lengthen their tassels to emphasize their religious status.

Jesus was criticizing the Pharisees and teachers of the law for their hypocrisy. They loved titles, honor, and recognition, but failed to practice true righteousness.

(v8-12) Jesus told the crowd that they should not allow themselves to be called 'Rabbi', for they only have one Teacher and they are all brothers. They should not called anyone on earth 'father', for they only have one Father who is in heaven. Nor should they be called instructors, for they have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among them will be the servant. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted. 

A Rabbi is a Jewish spiritual leader or religious teacher who is trained in Jewish law, tradition, and theology. They often lead synagogue services, deliver sermons, and officiate religious ceremonies such as weddings and funerals. Rabbis offer spiritual and ethical advice, helping individuals navigate religious and personal challenges.

Jesus told them not to be called Rabbi, like what the Pharisees loved to be called as they are proud of the title. Rather, Jesus is the true spiritual teacher. Jesus was not banning the general use of the word "father" but rather He is pointing out that God alone is the true spiritual Father.   

Jesus was teaching the crowd and His disciples to avoid pride and self-exaltation and to recognize who they are when compared to God and the Messiah. Instead, they should be humble and serve others.  

(v13-36) Seven Woes To Religious Leaders

Jesus criticize the teachers of the law and the Pharisees for their hypocrisy using seven "woes" listed below: 

1. (v13-14) They are hypocrites who shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. They will not enter, and they will not let others enter who are trying to.

Verse 14 is blank in Matthew. Some manuscript contains words similar to Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47: "They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

The Pharisees were supposed to be religious leaders guiding people toward God, but instead, they burdened them with legalistic rules and hypocrisy. They emphasized outward religious practices while neglecting the heart of God's law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Additionally, they rejected Jesus—the very one who came to bring salvation. By opposing Him and misleading others, they effectively blocked the way to eternal life.

2. (15)  They are hypocrites as they travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and then you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are. 

Pharisees will try to convert gentiles into Jewish proselytes - i.e. people who adopted Jewish beliefs and practices, including circumcision. However Jesus criticized them that they did not convert them toward true righteousness but did it to expand their own influence and end up making the person worse than themselves. 

3. (16-22) They are blind guides, as they taught that swearing by the gold of the temple or the gift on the altar was binding, but swearing by the temple itself or the altar was not. Jesus exposes the absurdity of this reasoning, asking: Which is greater—the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? The gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?

Jesus' point is that the temple and altar are what give value to the offerings, not the material wealth itself. Jesus then said that if anyone swears by the altar, or temple, or heaven, then they are also swearing on everything on the altar and the one who dwells in the temple and the one sitting on the throne in heaven.

Jesus did not contradict Himself when He thought the people not to swear at all, whether by heaven, earth, or Jerusalem, but instead to let their "Yes" be Yes" and "No" be No" in Matthew 5:33-37. The context in the passage above is to correct the error of the Pharisees and point out that all oaths ultimately invoke God, whether they realize it or not. This reinforces His earlier teaching that people should avoid swearing altogether and simply be truthful. 

4. (23-24) They are hypocrites when they gave a tenth of their spices - mint, dill and cumin; but they neglect the more important matters of the law such as justice, mercy and faithfulness. They should practice the latter, without neglecting the former. The are blind because they strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. 

The gnat represents small, insignificant matters, while the camel symbolizes much larger, more important issues. The Pharisees were obsessed with minor religious details, meticulously filtering out tiny impurities (like ensuring they didn’t accidentally consume a gnat, which was considered unclean). However, they completely ignored major moral failures, such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Jesus is exposing their misplaced priorities—they were so concerned with outward religious purity that they failed to address the deeper, more significant aspects of righteousness.

5. (25-26) They are hypocrites that they clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. The are blind as they should first clean the inside and then the outside will also be clean. 

Jesus' message here is clear: true righteousness starts from within. If the heart is pure, then outward actions will naturally reflect that purity. But if someone is only concerned with appearances, their faith is hollow.

6. (27-28) They are hypocrites like a whitewashed tombs that looks beautiful on the outside but full of bones of the dead and everything unclean in the inside. They appear to the people as righteous but in the inside they are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. 

They appear as noble people to the public, but inside they are filled with wickedness. 

7. (29-32) They are hypocrites as they build tombs for the prophets and decorated the graves of the righteous and said they would not have taken part with their ancestors to kill the prophets. They admit they are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Then they should complete what their ancestors started. 

Jesus is pointing out that the Pharisees  is the same as their ancestors who murdered the prophet. It is evident that they were against John the Baptist as well as Jesus. Jesus knew they are plotting to kill Him,  just like their ancestors did, and He told them to go ahead and complete what their ancestors started by killing the last prophet, that is, the Son of God.  This is similar to the parable of the tenants in Matthew 21:33-44.

(v33-36) Condemnation of the Pharisees

(v33-36) Jesus called the Pharisee snakes and vipers. They will not escape the condemnation to hell. Jesus told them He will send them prophets, sages, and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And upon them will be the righteous blood that has been shed on earth - from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom they murdered between the temple and the altar. All this will come on this generation. 

Jesus is not saying they will be punished for the murder of Abel and Zechariah; He is pointing out that they are committing the same sin as their ancestors and will be punished like their ancestors. Jesus knows that they will kill His disciples, who were referred to "prophets, sages and teachers." And He said that their generation will commit these murders. 

Examples includes Peter, who was crucified upside down in Rome*. Paul and Silas were flogged and imprison (Acts 16:22-23); Paul was constantly pursued and persecuted throughout his ministry. He was stoned and left for dead (Acts 14:19). 

Some people believe the apostles or people like Agabus (Acts 11:28) are prophets. However, they are different from OT prophets like Jeremiah, Zechariah, Isaiah, Daniel or Ezekiel and obviously different than Jesus. Those people were called by God to deliver direct revelations to Israel or other nations, often foretelling major events, calling for repentance and so on. 

The New Testament "prophets" were given a spiritual gift of prophecy which is used to encourage, warn or edify believers. (Romans 12:6, 1 Corinthians 14:3) Other than the apostle John and Paul, they seldom foretell major events that impact the Israel or other nations.  Therefore we must be careful if  "false prophets" came up and predict Jesus second coming or disasters that will happen in the future. Whatever we need to know about the future is already written in the Bible.  (See the warning of false prophets and teachers in the Appendix)

(v37-39) Lament over Jerusalem (Luke 13:31-35)

(v37-39) Jesus then cried out to Jerusalem, saying that it has killed the prophets and stone those sent to them, and how He longed to gather her children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but she was not willing. The house is left desolate. And they will not see Jesus again until you say 'blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord."

This verse expresses Jesus' deep sorrow over Jerusalem's rejection of God's messengers. The imagery of a hen gathering her chicks symbolizes protection, care, and love—Jesus longed to bring the people of Jerusalem under His guidance and shelter, offering them salvation. However, they refused to accept Him, continuing the pattern of rejecting God's prophets.

The words "the house" probably refers to the temple, which is central to Jewish worship. By saying it is "left desolate," Jesus is foretelling the spiritual and physical destruction that would come upon Jerusalem and the temple. This prophecy was fulfilled when the Temple was destroyed in AD 70 by the Romans. Spiritually, it signifies the loss of God's presence among the people who refused to accept His salvation.

In v39, Jesus is quoting Psalms 118:26: "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you."  (See appendix about this psalm)

The "he" who comes in the name of the Lord is Jesus, and the "Lord" is God the Father. Jesus will come again the second time. At that time, the people's eyes will be open and recognize Jesus as the person they crucified and they will mourn for what they had done, as prophesied by Zechariah 12:10 ("they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him.") and Jesus himself in Matthew 24:30 ("all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven...")

Notes:

* The earliest reference to this event appears in the Acts of Peter, an apocryphal text from the 2nd century. According to this account, Peter requested to be crucified upside down because he felt unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus.

Appendix

1. Warnings about false prophets and false teachers:

Matthew 7:15 – "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves."

Matthew 24:24 – "For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect."

2 Peter 2:1 – "But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves."

1 John 4:1 – "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world."

2 Timothy 4:3-4 – "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."

2. Psalm 118:26 is written בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם יְהוָה in Hebrew. (Read from right to left) i.e. "Baruch haba B'shem Adonai. "

As a pastor said, the phrase that Jews use frequently is Baruch Hashem (Blessed is the Name). Jews typically avoid saying the name of God, in which "Adonai" (YHWH) is one of the several sacred names. 

In the future, they will say "Baruch haba B'shem Adonai" to Christ.  Every time we remember this, we long for his second coming.

Some related Songs:

Baruch Hashem Adonai - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EDnrwN9DwM

Baruch haba B'shem Adonai - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puV9nGwbhO4